One of the Family
by United Profilers
Summary: Darwin doesn't feel like part of the Thornberry family because Eliza is the only human he can talk to, and the only person who will talk to him. But when Eliza is kidnapped by the Blackburn poachers and Darwin is the only witness, his inability to communicate with the rest of the family just might change if it means saving a life.
1. Chapter 1

**First story not about _Criminal Minds. _Shocking, isn't it? I've decided I wanted to expand my writing to another fandom, but not to worry, this won't impact my CM writing. The majority of my work will still be for _Criminal Minds_, just an occasional non-CM fic here and there...  
**

**I used to watch The Wild Thornberrys when it was still on TV, I've been watching episodes on YouTube and have recently gained a newfound love for the show. And then this idea came to mind.**

**I do not own The Wild Thornberrys.**

Several birds chirped as they flew about above the treeline. Down below sat a large, two-story motorhome, two of it's occupants were seated at a blue picnic table getting ready for breakfast, pancakes and maple syrup to be exact. The door to the black and yellow colored communications vehicle opened, a chimpanzee stretched and yawned as he went down the steps and onto the ground. He stopped and lifted his nose to the air, the smell of hot pancakes brought a goofy grin to his face and nearly had him floating toward the table. Seated at the opposite side, a redheaded pigtailed girl smiled and waved at the hungry animal.

"Good morning, Darwin." She said.

"Oh, good morning, Eliza." Darwin replied as he sat down on the bench. "And good morning to you!" He said upon laying eyes at a plate piled with pancakes, he twiddled his fingers in anticipation.

To Darwin's left, a blonde-haired teenager was sat down. She scoffed as she grabbed an empty plate. "Why do my parents allow animals at the table?" She groaned as she served herself two pancakes. "Then again, why do my parents still make me come along with them on their traveling documentaries?"

"Come on, Debbie, you know you like it out here." Eliza smirked. "Remember that panda bear cub, those dolphins, all those tribesmen you thought were cute, and-"

"Shut your pie hole, you dweeb." Came the typical reply. "Okay, so maybe it isn't _always _bad, but just wait until your my age, you'll start to realize just how I feel- Ah!" Debbie cried out when a mop of wild brown hair suddenly jumped from underneath the table and on her lap. The boy babbled happily, his hands were covered in mud. "Donnie!" The teen yelled in frustration. "I just took a shower this morning! And I gave you a bath last night!"

The hyper child was not fazed at all by the young woman's shrieks, but he did have to jump to avoid being grabbed by her. "Get back here!" Debbie shouted as she took off after the boy, her arms outstretched as she chased him around the camp. Eliza laughed at her older sister's dismay while Darwin helped himself to the food.

"I could use some help here!" Debbie growled. Donnie ran for cover underneath the commvee. Debbie was close to nabbing him when the door opened and a pair of legs prevented her from doing so. She looked up and saw her mother staring down at her.

"Is Donnie giving you a hard time again?" She spoke, which was more of a statement than a question.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just showing him how to, uh, play tag! Yeah, that's it!"

Marianne rolled her eyes at her oldest daughter's fib. She was oblivious to the mud splatter on Debbie's clothes and the fact that Donnie was trying to hide from her. Knowing that Debbie was currently occupied, Donnie seized the chance to vacate his shelter and took off again. Debbie made no move to chase him a second time.

"Marianne, dearest. Almost ready to go film some giraffes?" A nasally, British accent called from the commvee.

"Ready when you are, Nigel." Marianne responded, then turned to Debbie. "Debbie, we can take Donnie with us if it will make things easier for you. Giraffes are usually calm, so I don't see why Donnie couldn't come-"

"Thanks, mom." Came an immediate reply. Debbie tried to be as calm as she could, but it took a lot of willpower not to jump for joy. She didn't always mind Donnie, but today was just one of those days where she wanted to rip her hair out, and it was still morning.

"Nigel, Donnie's coming with us." Marianne stated when Nigel appeared from the commvee.

"Splendid!" Nigel said enthusiastically. "A change of scenery is probably just what the boy is itching for!"

"Change of scenery?" Debbie repeated. "Are you kidding me? We travel around the world." She sighed and shook of her head. Marianne drove the mini-comm out from it's compartment within the commvee and Nigel loaded their needed equipment into the back.

"Wee, wee, wee! Ride, ride, ride!" Donnie cheered as he jumped up and down excitedly..

"Right, off we go then." Nigel lifted Donnie up and sat him between him and Marianne.

"Hey, Mom, is it all right if me and Darwin go explore?" Eliza asked.

"Sure, just be careful, don't wander too far, and-"

"Be back by dinner." Eliza finished. "As always, gotcha!"

"Have fun, Poppet!" Nigel waved. Marianne started the engine and they slowly disappeared in the distance, the sounds of Donnie's familiar babbling fading the further away they got. Darwin sighed.

"Don't tell me you're wigging out already." Eliza said.

"It's not that," Darwin explained. "It's just that, well, how come your parents never tell _me _to have a good time, or to 'be careful'? Which is something you're still learning how to do." He pointed out.

"Well, Darwin, they are _my _parents. To them, you're just a chimp, they don't know that you can understand what they say."

"Well, sometimes I wish they would!" Darwin complained. "Sometimes I want to be told goodnight, or be tucked in, or told to get well soon when I'm not feeling well."

"Why?" Eliza asked. "You have me to do those things for you."

"That's the thing, you can talk to _all_ animals, while I can only talk to _one_ human!"

"But you never complained about that before." Eliza pointed out. "And besides, what's wrong with me?"

The gray-haired primate sighed again. "It's not you, Eliza, I mean we are best friends after all. It's just that I wish your parents would communicate with me once in a while. Just look at Donnie, he can't speak English and they talk to him more than me."

"Darwin, I think you're being a little ridiculous." Eliza said. "Only me and Debbie know my secret about being able to talk to animals. To me, animals speak English just like me, but to everyone else, we just make animal noises. To everyone else, animals sound like they should, It's only me who can understand what's being said. It's not you, it's just them."

Darwin sighed a third time. "I suppose you're right, but to be able to communicate with your family more, to actually feel more like one of the family, that would be all I ask for."

"What are you talking about? You _are _one of the family." Eliza tried to convince.

"When has anyone ever addressed meas 'Darwin Thornberry'? Hmm?" The chimp stuck him hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry, Dar." Eliza finally said after a moment of silence. "I never knew you felt this way. I could make an arrangement with my parents whenever we meet new people?" She offered.

"No, that's alright." Darwin replied. "I wouldn't want your parents to look or feel silly. Considering they already have Donnie to put up with."

Eliza said nothing, but she smiled at Darwin's remark. The chimp shared a slight smirk of his own. "I suppose you still want to go exploring?"

The 12-year old debated for a minute. "Only if you want to." She said.

"Fine by me." Darwin answered.

"Yes!" Eliza cheered. "I'm going to change real quick before we go, it's hot out here." She waved a hand in front of her face before heading for the commvee. Darwin waited until the girl returned sporting a familiar outfit; khaki shorts with a belt, and a light blue tank top.

"Ready?" Eliza asked, righting a backpack on her shoulders.

"Whenever you are." Darwin shrugged. With that, they headed for one of the roads leading toward the savannah. Debbie looked up from her magazine, taking note that she had the whole camp to herself. No geeky sisters, annoying, wild little boys, or monkeys in sight.

"Finally!" The blonde rushed inside the commvee and shut the door. The entire vehicle soon began to rattle as rock music blasted from the stereo speakers.

"By the way, what is it you're looking for this time?" Darwin questioned as they walked down the road.

"A honey badger." Eliza answered. "I've always wanted to talk to one of those!"

"Oh, that's nice." Darwin almost brushed off her response. "You want to talk to a WHAT?!"

* * *

Brie and Sloan Blackburn, two former poachers, put away thanks to none other than a little brat. They never forgot about the whole ordeal, it was because of that Thornberry girl that they ended up behind bars. The criminal couple vowed to one day get revenge, and when the opportunity came, they would not fail this time, because animals were no longer their number one priority, instead, going after the person who caused their downfall was on their bucket list. They weren't yet sure how they would do it, or when they would, but with each passing day, they knew it would happen someday. And when Sloan would get his hands on the child...Well, so many ideas, so little time.

That was in the past however, they weren't going to rot in prison because of a 12-year old. It took a lot of planning, and to this day, Brie still wasn't sure how it was successful, but apparently the sick prisoner routine still works in some cases. But it wouldn't be long until it was was discovered that they had escaped, and they knew they had only a limited amount of time if they were going to avenge their 'career' in poaching.

They had no idea where the family was currently located, but they tried to make the best of guesses. As if luck was still on their side, Brie pointed out a distinctive sound coming from nearby, the two went to investigate, needing to make sure it wasn't any sort of law enforcement. It wasn't, it was just some girl and a chimpanzee.

They halted when realization struck them like a sack of bricks. "It's her!" Brie whispered.

Sloan grinned fiendishly as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Get the tranquilizer gun."

* * *

"Do you have any idea on what honey badgers are even like?"

"Of course I do." Eliza reassured.

"I'm not convinced." Darwin folded his arms. "They're mean, viscous little beasts. They have the attitude of a wolverine, and they look like a skunk, though thankfully they don't smell like them. Oh, and did I mention they were mean and viscous?"

"Relax, Dar, I bet the honey badger will be surprised to see a talking human." Filling with excitement, Eliza picked up the pace, leaving an unhappy Darwin struggling to keep up with her.

"Imagine what it'd be like if I could talk to other humans, it would certainly be interesting." Darwin sighed dreamily.

"I guess when I think about it from your perspective, Darwin, it would be kinda cool." Eliza agreed. "But you have to remember, it's _me _who can talk to animals, not the other way around."

"I know." The chimp said. "Just don't rub it in, alright?" He smiled, indicating that the conversation was finished. The two continued their way through the jungle, mindset on finding a honey badger. One of them more reluctant than the other.

As they traveled, Darwin's right ear twitched. He'd never known himself for having a sixth sense, but something felt wrong, not that he hasn't experienced such a feeling a lot when he accompanied Eliza on an adventure, but this was different. Something truly felt out of place, like something really bad was going to happen. Darwin knew Eliza well enough that if he told her, she would just call him out for being cowardly. But it wasn't that kind of fear that the primate was feeling, he felt a need to stay close to the redhead, as if she would disappear if he didn't. _Maybe I'm regaining some of my animal instincts? _He wondered. But what would be causing him to feel like this, besides the idea of getting attacked or chased by a honey badger? Were they already being stalked by some hungry animal just waiting to eat a chimp with a human girl as a side-dish? Or was it something else? The further away from camp they got, the harder Darwin noticed it became to continue walking. Something was off, and he felt that if he kept walking, something cataclysmic would happen suddenly.

"Eliza, something doesn't feel right. I think we should turn back." Darwin knew she wasn't likely to listen, but he had to try something.

"Come on, Darwin, don't be such a scaredy cat." Eliza chuckled.

"Technically, I think the term would be 'scaredy chimp', but that's not the point." Darwin ceased her left arm but she continued on. "I've got a really bad feeling, and I don't think it has anything to do with honey badgers."

"Just calm down, will ya?" She persisted. "We've faced wild animals dozens of times. Nothing bad is going to happen."

A distinctive shot rang out through the jungle. Darwin screamed and instantly cowered to the ground. He heard Eliza cry out "Ow!" and he quickly removed his hands from his face to see the 12-year old looking at her right arm. Fearing the worst, Darwin got to his feet.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" The worried primate asked.

"No, not really." Eliza answered.

"Then what's that in your arm?" Darwin pointed.

"It looks like a tranquilizer dart."

"A tranquilizer dart?" He repeated. "How would one get out here? Or who would fire something like that at another human? Unless it was meant for me?"

"I don't know, Dar, but I think I'm gonna take a nap..." Sighing, Eliza laid down on the ground and curled into a slumbering ball.

"First you want to talk to a honey badger, and now you want to sleep in the middle of the jungle?" Darwin joked sarcastically, but was disappointed when his only response was light snoring. "Oh, come on, Eliza! Wake up!" He removed the dart from her arm and shook her, hoping for this to be just a trick, but it didn't take him long to realize that the girl wasn't playing around, she really was out cold.

Some bushes rustled, startling Darwin. Hooting nervously, he glanced over and saw two people approach him and Eliza. It wasn't the fact that they were carrying a large gun and some rope that frightened him, but because he knew who they were.

"Good shot, Sloan." Brie complimented.

"Now let's get the little brat to the truck." Sloan grumbled. Bending over, he grasped Eliza's wrists while Brie held onto her ankles. Darwin started to panic when they began carrying her away. He howled and screamed at the two poachers, but they did nothing. Finally, Sloan let go of Eliza and carelessly dropped her unconscious body. Growling, he pulled out the tranquilizer gun and aimed it at Darwin. Screaming, the chimp fled down the road, Sloan fired the dart, but he missed and hit a tree.

"Damn it, I missed." He seethed.

"Forget the monkey, Sloan," Brie said. "Let's get out of here before somebody sees us."

Nodding, he picked up Eliza and they continued away from the road to where their vehicle rested. When the Thornberry kid would eventually wake up, that's when the 'fun' would begin.

* * *

"I've got get help." Darwin panted as he raced back to camp. He wasn't sure how he would be able to tell the family that Eliza had just been kidnapped, but he had to try. She was now at the mercy of two people who hated her guts more than anything. He didn't want to think about what she might be going through right now, not that he wanted to. He hoped that she would stay asleep for as long as it took to get her back. Darwin saw the familiar colors of the commvee up ahead. The primate was a little disappointed to see only Debbie on her lawn chair, reading one of her copies of 'Teenage Wasteland' while listening to music on her headphones. Groaning, Darwin knew it was a long shot, but maybe if she knew that her sister was in danger, she just might listen to him.

"Debbie! Debbie!" Darwin called, stopping beside her, he continued. "Debbie, Eliza's been kidnapped by-"

Debbie tore her gaze from her magazine to see only Darwin making sounds. "What do you want, you filthy animal?"

"Debbie, I told you, Eliza's been-"

"-Hoo, hoo, hah, hah!" Debbie rolled her eyes. "What ever it is you're trying to tell me, I'm not interested." She returned to her magazine.

"Debbie! How could you say that? She's your sister!"

Debbie scoffed. "Go play with Eliza or something." She made a lazy attempt to shoo the frantic chimp away with her hand. "If you're hungry, there's cheese crunchies in the commvee. I am not getting up to get them for you."

Sighing in defeat, Darwin turned and headed back down the road. "What am I going to do? Debbie won't listen to me, I don't know where the parents are and when they'll get back, Eliza's in danger, and she's the only human I can talk to." Darwin sat down on a large rock and rested his head in his hands. "If only I could talk to other humans."

"So, you want to talk to humans, you say?"

Darwin screamed and looked around to find out where the source of the voice came from. "Who said that?" He demanded with fear lacing his own voice. The voice emitted a warm chuckle and a figure appeared from some foliage.

"It was I, Shaman Mnyambo."

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A big thank you to those who read and/or reviewed.**

**Twtfan01, yes, I did plan to finish this, I just didn't know if the fic would have gotten read at all because The Wild Thornberrys fandom is a little dead, but I suppose publishing a story is the only way to keep it running. :P**

**Here is the second chapter.**

"Who are you?" Darwin asked.

The notably overweight man chuckled. He was one of the most peculiar humans the primate had ever seen. He had tusks protruding from the side of his nose, his hair was wild and unruly like Donnie's, but black. Each of his upper arms sported a red and a blue ring of some kind, and he wore only a skirt made of plants which Darwin could not identify. "Clearly, you do not know who I am."

"Isn't that what I just asked?" The chimp replied sarcastically, folding his arms.

"I am the one who gave Eliza her ability to talk to animals." Shaman stated.

"Oh, yes, I do recognize you now." Darwin recalled. " I just forgot that you had a name." He said sarcastically.

"I heard that you want to talk to humans." The warthog-turned-human said.

"Yes, and in the process, you scared me half to death." Darwin pointed out.

The man chuckled. "Yes, Darwin, and I'm aware of your situation."

"So, you can help me or not?" He asked impatiently. "Or at least help me to help Eliza?"

Shaman nodded. "I can, and I will. I shall grant you the ability to talk to other humans."

"Well, it's about time." Darwin pouted.

Ignoring the primate's remark, Shaman revealed his wand and cleared his throat before beginning a chant. "Oogla, boogla, freebie, trueman! May this chimpanzee talk to humans!" A beam of light cast from the witch doctor's outstretched arms toward Darwin. The gray-haired chimp gasped as a neon tornado spiraled around him. Frozen stiff with fear, he didn't dare move a muscle until it was gone. Taking a moment to calm down, Darwin felt around himself.

"I don't feel any different." He pointed out. "Please don't tell you messed something up." Darwin groaned.

Mnyambo shook his head. "No mistakes this time, Darwin. Your power is real, and it does work. You just need to try it out for yourself." He said. "Now go. Eliza needs you now more than ever."

"Just one more thing." Darwin put his hands on his hips. "On what condition? What should I avoid doing to lose my powers? You know, like how Eliza mustn't tell anyone that she can talk to animals?"

"Nobody must know how you gained your ability to communicate." Shaman explained. "As long as you conceal this, you will be able to keep your own powers."

"Well, that shouldn't be hard." Darwin relaxed. "After all, if Debbie can keep Eliza's a secret after all this time, I certainly can do the same for myself." Realizing that he was procrastinating, Darwin started off back toward camp. "Thank you so much, Mr. Mnyambo." Darwin stopped and waved.

Shaman waved back. "Good luck, Darwin Thornberry!" He called.

Darwin halted when he returned to the clearing. Spotting Debbie, who was still in the same position since he left, the chimp took a deep breath. Trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever may come out of this, he trotted over to the teen. How would Debbie react to this change? Or the rest of the family for that matter. He and Eliza have always been able to communicate, so not much would change with her, other than Darwin being able to talk to everyone else now too. Perhaps Debbie would start respecting him, and maybe the parents would acknowledge him more as well.

It's now or never. It's not like he had anything to lose, beside Eliza, of course. But Darwin would never stand by and let anything bad happen to her, not as long as he could do something about it, which was going to start right now with her bossy older sister.

Not realizing that Debbie was in the process of sipping out of a soda can, he shouted. "Debbie!"

Startled by the outburst, she spit out her mouthful of soda and the aluminum slipped from the blonde's fingers. Ice cold sticky liquid ran all over her favorite shirt. Leaping to a stand and sending the small stack of magazines from her lap and onto the ground, the angered young woman ripped off her sunglasses and shot a look that could kill toward the cowering primate.

"What, do, you, want?!" She shrieked. " Just look at this mess you made! Ooh! If you weren't my freaky little sister's pet, I would throw you in the oven and bake you for dinner!"

Remembering what needed to be done, Darwin regained whatever composure he had left. "Debbie, Eliza has an emergency! We need to call for help!"

Glaring daggers, Debbie took a step closer with each word she said. "If there's anyone who will need help, it's you when I get my hands on you!"

Whimpering, Darwin took a couple steps back. "Debbie, this is serious! Eliza's been kidnapped!"

Stopping, the furious teen folded her arms. "What do you mean, 'kidnapped'?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Debbie, do you remember those poachers who caused the elephant stampede in the Tempo Valley?" The gray-haired animal questioned.

"You mean the same ones who tried to throw me off a cliff?" She inquired, her voice softening. "The ones who... Eliza gave up her powers for to save my life?"

Darwin nodded frantically. "Yes, those ones!"

Her anger and her sticky t-shirt completely forgotten, Debbie stuttered. "Well, what happened? Where are they now? Is she okay?"

"We were walking down the road," He pointed to the area he'd just come from. "Eliza said she wanted to see a honey badger, Naturally, I tried to convince her out of it and she wouldn't listen. I started to get this very bad feeling when suddenly this tranquilizer comes out of nowhere. It hit Eliza and put her to sleep, and then..." Darwin shuddered. "They appeared, the poachers. They carried her off, I tried to stop them, but I just couldn't."

He began to sob hysterically as he buried his face in his hands. "Oh, I'm a terrible friend! I should've done more to save her! Who knows what's happening to her now?"

Debbie began absorbing the information that she was just told. She didn't know very much about those poachers, other than that they tried to kill both her and Eliza. Eliza sacrificed something that she valued more than almost anything; her ability to talk to animals, in order to save Debbie's life, even though she got it back. She knew that the poachers had been captured, but from the sound of it, they were out on the run, and... And now they had her sister, someone who they probably hated more than any other person in the world. They had her.

Laying a hand on her chest, Debbie could feel her heart-rate increasing. Her sister was at the mercy of some very bad people, and who knows what they want with her. She shook her head, not wanting to go too deep into thought just yet.

"Let's radio Mom and Dad." She said suddenly. Not waiting for a reply, she hurried inside the commvee with Darwin following behind. Plopping down on the driver's seat, Debbie grabbed the radio and quickly turned the dial until she got a signal.

"Mom, Dad, if you're there, come in now!"

* * *

"I must say, we got some exceptionally excellent footage of the herd." Nigel complimented. "Good show today, Marianne!"

"The foundation is going to love this." She commented as she began packing up equipment.

"Wappatty wa-hoo!" Donnie exclaimed, running circles around Nigel, who bent over and proceeded to pick up his adopted son.

"Of course, we can't forget our special helper." The redhead chuckled before the wild child gave him a wet, sloppy lick to the face.

"The girls will be surprised that we got done so soon." Marianne noted. "Looks like we'll be able to stop by that store Debbie wanted to check out after all."

"Indeed. She will be pleasantly surprised." Nigel added enthusiastically.

"Mom, Dad, if you're there, come in now!"

"That's odd." Marianne pondered as she reached for the radio in the mini-comm. "Yes, Debbie, what is it?"

"Emergency! You need to get back here ASAP!" The tone of the eldest daughter had the worried mother on edge. She very seldom spoke like that.

"We were just getting ready to head back." Marianne said. "What's going on over there? Is everyone alright?"

"Eliza's been kidnapped by poachers! What more do I need to say?!"

"Kidnapped?" She repeated.

"Poachers?" Nigel added.

"Hey! Give me that-"

"Yes, it's the same poachers who tried to kill that elephant herd. They're back and they have Eliza!" A whole new voice piped in, one that neither of the two parents could recall hearing before.

"Deborah, who was-"

"Never mind!" Debbie interrupted her father. "Just get back here right now!" With that, the radio cut out.

"The poachers who started that elephant stampede... The Blackburns?" Nigel tapped his chin in thought.

"Undoubtedly." Marianne tossed their packs into the back of the vehicle. "Let's head out!"

"Right-o! Come along, Donnie, 'ol boy." With the wild boy tucked away in one arm, Nigel seated himself before sitting Donnie down. Marianne leaped into the driver's side faster than a cheetah on a pogo stick. Cranking the mini-comm into gear, she floored the gas and they sped off back to camp, Donnie's ecstatic cries ringing into the jungle.

* * *

Debbie sat in the drive's seat, anxiously tapping her well-manicured fingernails against the steering wheel. Darwin paced back and forth up and down the aisle occasionally emitting a fearful whimper, and this was getting on the teen's nerves.

"Will you cut that out?!" She shrieked.

"What's taking the parents so long? What if something happened to them too?" Darwin cupped his cheeks, already fearing the worst.

"Don't talk like that, monkey!" Debbie snapped. "Nothing's happened to them, they'll be fine. They'll get here, and we can go save Eliza and kick those poachers' asses!"

The gray-haired chimp was initially shocked by Debbie's choice of words, but it was short-lived. There were bigger problems to fret about. Darwin resumed his pacing, meanwhile, Debbie stared out the windshield. _Come on, Mom and Dad, where are you? Why aren't you here yet? Please be okay, Eliza._

* * *

So many questions ran through her mind as she nearly broke the sound barrier zooming down the bumpy dirt road. Was her youngest daughter still okay? Where did her kidnappers take her? Who was that whom Debbie was talking to? Had she met a new friend? But how did they know about the Blackburns, and more importantly, how did they even know Eliza's name?

Casting a brief glance towards Nigel, who was keeping Donnie preoccupied with some silly song. Marianne had to admit that she was a bit envious of how her husband could stay so calm and cheerful despite current affairs. Driving over a large rock snapped her back to reality in time to note that she was about to crash into the commvee. Slamming on the brakes, she swerved the steering wheel to the right, but not in time to plow Debbie's lawn chair over. By the time they came to a halt, it was raining torn magazines all over their camp.

Unfazed by the all the action, Donnie jumped out and immediately chased after a butterfly. Nigel shook his head and blubbered comically to regain composure. Breathing hard, Marianne's hair was somewhat frazzled and she was shaking slightly.

"Dearest, are you alright?" Nigel asked concernedly.

Had everything been under better circumstances, she probably would have burst out laughing, considering that she was the one behind the wheel who almost drove them right into their house.

"I'm... okay." She replied hesitantly. Still shaking, she gripped the wheel as she stepped out, making sure that she could hold her balance. Once this was confirmed, she hastily entered the commvee with Nigel and Donnie in tow. Spotting Debbie, she hurried over to her. "Okay, we're all here. Debbie, tell us what happened."

"Hey, all I know is that Eliza got kidnapped by those poachers. You know, those ones that threw her in a river?" She pointed a finger at the chimp next to her. "Darwin saw what actually happened, ask him."

A confused pause. "But, Debbie, Darwin can't talk." Marianne stated.

"Uh, yes he can." Debbie said as if it was the most normal subject in the world. "He's the one who told me Eliza got taken in the first place, he saw everything. I was just chilling back here at camp."

"So, Eliza got kidnapped while you were in charge?" Marianne folded her arms.

"Hey, it's not like she doesn't run off all the time anyway." Debbie defended.

"Indeed, it's true." Darwin sighed. "Of course, I almost always accompany her while Debbie sits on her butt all day." He added with a smirk.

"What- I do not!" She argued.

"Ba- Bu-" Marianne sputtered as she took a few steps back. "Darwin, you... You actually do talk?" She exclaimed.

"Um, hello? Wasn't I just telling you guys that?" Debbie pointed out.

Nigel gasped. "Smashing!" He approached Darwin and began to poke the primate with a finger. "Perhaps one of very few individual creatures other than people to possess and speak human vocabulary! Oh, this is quite fascinating."

Having recovered from her shock, Marianne broke in. "Um, Nigel, honey?"

"Mm, yes, Marianne?" The redhead asked distractedly.

"We still need to find Eliza and the people who took her?" She half-stated.

"Hm? Oh! Quite right. Sorry, dearest." Nigel blushed. Clearing his throat, he knelt down in front of Darwin. "Now, Darwin, are you positive that you saw everything?"

The chimp nodded. "Yes, and I last saw them down that road." He pointed once again toward the wide path he'd came from. "They knocked Eliza out with a tranquilizer, and they said they should get back to a truck."

"They have a vehicle." Marianne observed. "Let's track them down. Hopefully they haven't gotten far." Ushering Debbie off the driver's seat. Marianne applied her seatbelt and started the ignition. The commvee's engine roared to life and Marianne twisted the steering wheel toward the left before pressing down on the gas pedal. Everyone else on board, even Donnie, yelled in surprise and grabbed ahold of whatever was within reach to avoid being thrown off their feet. The mini-comm and their picnic table was left in a cloud of dust as they disappeared back into the jungle.

After directing Marianne to where he saw the abductors head off to, Darwin watched out the window as trees whizzed by. They were going fast down the bumpy route, and they could only hope that it was fast enough.

_We're coming Eliza, just hang on._

* * *

The first thing that made itself known was a slight headache, fortunately, it went away fairly quick. Blinking, Eliza slowly gained back her eyesight and looked around. She was in a moving vehicle of some sort, but that soon changed when it came to a gradual halt. Up front, she noticed two people; a man and a woman. They sported similar camouflage attire, the man sitting in the passenger side turned and shot her a spine-chilling grin, the woman shortly followed suit..Eliza gasped when she realized who they were. "You!" She spat with a mix of anger and fear. "You're supposed to be prison!"

"Is that so?" Sloat replied casually. Getting up from his seat, he began to slowly approach the girl. "But alas, we are not."

Brie had also gotten to her feet. "Did you really think we would let some little brat like you get away with destroying our business?"

"Business?!" Eliza repeated. "Killing animals for money is wrong! And it's illegal! You two got what you deserved after what you did to all those poor, helpless animals!"

"However, _you _haven't gotten what _you_ deserve after what you've done to us." Sloat added.

The pigtailed redhead gulped. She honestly had never counted on the Blackburns seeking revenge on her, and she knew that she was no physical match for them, much less one. Her best bet would likely be to run and outmaneuver, or at the very least, hide from them until some sort of help came. That is, if any help was nearby.

Seeing that the deranged couple were slowly advancing upon her, Eliza made a beeline for the back doors of the truck, but they would not open. Turning around, she saw that she was surrounded by the two, she could not escape. Sloat produced a few lengths of rope. Tossing one to Brie, he chuckled evilly.

Not sure on how she would get away, a thought quickly struck the girl. Where was Darwin, and what ever happened to him?

* * *

"Darwin, you're absolutely sure they went this way?" Marianne asked.

"Positive." He confirmed. "She's close by too, I can feel it."

Before she could open her mouth to protest, she soon felt her own motherly instincts kick in, they practically rivaled Darwin's animalistic ones. Eliza really wasn't too far away from where they were. Darwin was right, her baby was close.

Nigel couldn't help but notice that Debbie was biting her finely groomed nails without even realizing it. She and Eliza may bicker sometimes, but sibling rivalry was nothing unusual, and they were more than capable of overcoming it, especially when a situation called for it. Debbie might act irritated with her younger sister's antics, but deep down, they both cared for each other, and honestly, Nigel wouldn't have it any other way. As for himself, he'd been mostly silent during an event where he should be fretting alongside his wife, expressing concern for his youngest daughter, or even still be shocked by the fact that Darwin could actually talk, and it's because of him that they were currently tracking down two poachers who had Eliza in their possession.

On the inside, Nigel was in fact very terrified. Eliza already had a reputation within the family for having a tendency of getting into trouble, but everything always ended well. This was different, those two poachers who kidnapped her have a score to settle with her, they were very capable of a lot of things, and Nigel hated to think about it. Nigel famed himself for being the comic relief of the family, which is why he seldom gets angry, he controls his temper better than anyone else in the family. Nigel also looked on the bright side of things more often than not. It's a secret tactic of his on keeping his sanity with the kind of life that they all live, though it may get on Marianne's nerves occasionally, he knew that she generally appreciated him keeping the peace when she isn't able to.

Getting up to see how she was holding up, Nigel made his way to the front of the commvee, but he stopped for a moment when he spotted something ahead in the distance. "Marianne, look!"

* * *

"Stop moving, you little brat!" Brie complained.

"Not until you tell me where Darwin is!" Eliza demanded. The poachers had her pinned to the floor on her stomach,, Sloat had already tied her wrists together behind her back, while Brie was having some difficulty binding the girl's ankles. Sloat tapped his chin in thought for a few seconds, then he felt his lips curl into a slowly growing grin.

"Ah, yes, your little chimpanzee friend." He began. "You see, me and Brie here grown up an appetite whilst we were hunting for you, and we had heard before that chimp meat is actually quite tasty, and so, we figured we'd see for ourselves." Brie had finally managed to entrap the redhead's ankles with rope, she caught the wink that Sloat sent to her.

"What are you talking about?" Eliza asked, she tried to sit up, but Sloat pinned her back down and produced one more length of rope, which he promptly began to hog-tie her with. There was no way he was risking the pesky kid getting away this time, Eliza started to put up one last struggle..

"Let's just say that 'chimpanzee stew' is one our newest favorite dishes." Sloat said sinisterly.

Gasping, Eliza instantly stopped, her face laden with shock and horror. Sloat seized the opportunity to tighten the slack on the rope and tie the final knot, successfully restraining her and rendering her helpless.

"You're lying! Darwin is fine!" She accused, the rope creaked in protest as she resumed her struggling.

"So, you think we're not telling the truth?" Sloat questioned. "No matter, we'll just... demonstrate what we did, on you."

Eliza gulped, her anger dissipated and was quickly replaced with fear once again. These people were truly evil, she hated to imagine what happened to Darwin, but she also refused to believe any of it. Darwin was fine, she was sure it.

Sloat and Brie began rummaging through a chest of which Eliza guessed was filled with assorted torture tools or something equally horrifying. Was this finally it? Had the Blackburns actually won? Was she done for? How would her family cope without her? Would they keep Darwin even if she was gone? So many questions ran through the 12-year old's head, that she, along with the deranged couple holding her captive, were startled when they heard an elephant trumpeting right outside the truck. Brie looked over at the rear-view mirror, after seeing a large, yellow and black striped vehicle pull up in front of them, her eyes widened.

"Sloat, we've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"It's the Thornberrys, they found us."

**To be continued...**

**My deepest, deepest apologies for taking so long. I never planned on it taking so much time to update this story, much less finish it. This was originally going to be just two chapters, but with the time already spent, this will end up being three chapters.**


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